Headlight



May 12, 1925.

1,537,219 E3. BERG HEADLIGHT Filed May 24 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Hmcn crmm 1,2...192a 1,53 7,219

' El. BERG HEADLIGHT ilyq'ijay 24., 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May12, 1925.

EVAN BERG, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

- HEADLIGHT.

Application filed May 24, 1924. 'Serial No. 715,547.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be'it known that I, EVAN BERG, a citizen of the United States, residingat Spokane, in Spokane County and State of Nashington, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Headlights, of. which thefollowing is a specification. My present invention relates to improvements in headlights for automotive vehicles and designed to project thegreater part of the light emanating from the lamp within the casing in aconcentrated beam for the purpose of illuminating the roadway in frontof a vehicle,'and to divert the light rays for the purpose of avoidingthe dangers resulting when the light rays are directed on a line withthe eyes of a pedestrian, or on a level withthe eyes of the driver of anapproaching automobile on the roadway.

The device is capable of attachment to existing headlights of standardconstruction already in use, and ma be manufactured as a part of aheadlig t for the market. In carrying out my invention I utilize aseries of parallel reflectorslats carried in an adjustable ring or bandmovable on a horizontal axis and located between .-'the front lens andreflector or reflecting plate within the headlight.

Means are providedfor retaining the re fleeting slats in permanentadjusted position in order that the headlight may coinply with 'trafiiclaws relating to illumination. and means operable from the dash board ofvided for changing the position 'of the re. fiecting slats whenrequired.

The invention consists in novel'- being broken away for convenience ofil-.

lust ration.

,liigure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view at the front partof a headlight showingthe relation thereto of the reflecting slats andtheir connections,

theautomobile by the driver are also pro- Figure 3 is an enlargedperspective view of a part of the light defiectingdevice.

Figure 4 is detail sectional view of a part of one ofthe lightdeflecting slats.

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation at the front of an automobileshowing the connections to the dash board for operating thelightdeflector. a

Figure 6 is a top plan view illustratin the connection between twoheadlights and the actuating means for turning or. adjusting the slatstherein. i

In Figure 6 two headlights l and 2 are illustrated which are of standardor well known type and are carried at suitable locations at the front ofthe automobile. The usual electric lamp 3 is' enclosed within the outercasing 4, and a reflector 5 is enclosed within the casing and positionedwith. relation .to the lamp for directing the light rays therefromtoward the front of the headlight in which is located the light-raydeflecting device.

At the front of the headlight, which is shown as cylindrical is locatedan extension ring 6, a rear portion of which en- 'circles the front ,ofthe casing 4:, and this extension ring carries a lens 7 of suitabletype, which is retained by the annular; exterior bead 8 of the extensionring. The

extension ring may be secured in any approved manner on the outerperiphery of the casing and the rear end of the sleeve or ring 6frictionally engages an annular semi- -circular bead or rib 9 on theexterior of the casing, with suitable means for fastening these partstogether.

Within the open front of the headlight casing I locate albearing sleeve10 which frictionally engages the inner face of the reflector 5, and thesleeve is fashioned at its front with an annular, exterior flange 11which at its outer edge engages the inner cylindrical face of theextension ring 6. The front-face of this flange aiiords a seat for thelens and it will beapparent that'the inner bearing ring, outer extensionring and lens,'together with the head 8 and flange 11 form a well bracedand rigid headfor the casing of the headlight. The/light deflectingdevice is located creases to a minimum in order that the" n ax znumrefiect n" properties of the reflector 'may' be ut'i zed. in connectionwith within' 'this head at a point where the ei fectiveness oft-hereflector plate 5 tie.

light dellectin device. The lip t deflecting device inc. odes anedjusteh e supgsorting ril 3.2 Within the bearing ring hsving e- ;orenislly elined horizontal tr'umcons 1 ly 517cm. opposite si .es of thering end and then bent upwardly fist against the enterior face the ringin order that the slats are anchored in fixed relsticn to the ring andturn with the latter.

These slots are urrsnged in parallelism and extend horizontally acrossthe front of the headlight but back of the lens. They are spacedequidistant sport and their upper "feces 18 are treated in such monneras to render them noureilecting surfaces for light 1 rays emanating fromthe lamp 3. A costing; or dicated in the enlarged detail view of Figurel by the numeral 18 is applied in suitable manner to the upper surfacesof the slots.

The lower surfaces of all the slots, ss 19, are polished, niclreled orsilvered or made reflecting surfaces in other suitable manner, and thesesurisces aredesigned to receive light rays and deflect them in agenerally downward direction. The light rays refiected from the conoidalreflector are directed to the underside of the slots, and then the raysin turn are reflected from these surfaces 19 and directed through thefront of the headlight by way of the lens.

As the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence it will beapparent that light rays emanating from various parts of the reflector 5will be reflected from the slats, son1e a short distance or directlydownward in front of the headlight striking the ground or rosdrvsyslightly in advance of the vehicle, and other light rays will beprojected "further ahead, but downwardly. The major portion ofthelight'from the lamp will thus be reflected by the slots. While :1portion of the light may pass directly through the spaces between theslots; The light that is directed straight ahead in a horizontal planeis, however, dimmed, and not sufiicient to interfere with the vision ordazzle the eyes of u pedestrian or of the driver of an up proachingautomotive vehicle.

The supporting ring may he swung; on its trunnions to very the position.of the re fleeting surfaces of theslats with relation to the reflector55 for the purpose of changing the single of the reflected light rays asthey strikeths ground in front of the headlight.

25 rejecting diemetricahl linish of non-reflecting material as inuremicA. permanent or stationary adjustment oi the supporting ring end slotsmay he scco'n'u plished by the following means. At the top of thesupporting ring vertical and redielly disposed perforated lug 20 isfixed, which projects upwardly 'fironi the exterior annular surface ofthe ring and through c. 7

slot 21, This slot is located in the bearing ring l0 and extendslongitudinally thereof immediately in front of the flanged from; edge ofthe reflector 5, and back of the flange 11 of the extension sleeve 10.The slot is of sufiicicnt length to permit the lug to move therein asthe supporting ring is turned on its trunnions.

An adjusting screw 22 is utilized for turning the supporting ring, andsaid screw is journaled st 23 in the flange 11 of the extension slcevel0 and extends through the perforated lug 20. The screw is threaded 1nthe lug and has a loose bearing in the head 8 and lungs l1, and a.spring 24: which is interposed between the lug and flange and coiledabout the screw is compressed when the screw is turned to swing thesupporting ring on its trunnions. The head of the screw on the exteriorof the head 8 resists the tend ency of the spring to return thesupporting ring to vertical position. Thus by turning the. screw in theperforated lug, which performs the functions or a nut, the supportingring may he turned on its trunnions with the upper half to the front ofthe vertical axis of the ring and the lower half to the rear of thevertical axis. The spring affords a resilient means to prevent excessivemove ment of the supporting ring and retains the ring in adjustedposition. v

For additional adjustment of the support ing ringand its reflectingslotsmenus op-- cratcd "from the "front or dash board or" the vehicle areconnected with a projecting trunnion 25 of each of the headlights, saidtrunnions projecting inwardly toward the longitudinal center of thevehicle. Each trunnion 25 is provided with a. crank arm 26 and link 2?,and these links which extend reerwardly of the vehicle are connected atthe respective ends of a transversely disposed crank rod 28 supported toturn in its bearings 29 fixed to a suitable portion of the vehicle.

The crank rod or shaft 30 is provided with e lever arm, and this arm isconnected to a draw rod 31 having a head or knob 2:32 at the dash boardand convcnicut for access by the driver of the cor. An extension joint33 is provided in the draw rod to adjust the rod "to its proper length,and it Will be apparent that by pulling on the knob or handle 32,slightly. the crank rod or shaft may he turned. The turning: movement ofthe crank rod is transmitted to the links and crank arms and thence tothe trunnions and as the latter are swung dotted lines in Fi 'formsthehead may be the supporting ri and are tilted as indica t iad by gure 2.By this adjustment theslats may be turned to position to entirely shutoif'transmission of light'rays or nearly so, should suchconditionbe-desired. When actuated from the knob 32 the supporting ring is movedagainstthe tension of the spring 24, and when the knob is released thespring will return the supporting ring to its original position. Thisoriginal position may be the vertical position, or the original positionmay be the adjusted positionsecured by manipulating the screw 22,

As before statedathe device is applicable as an attachment for lamps nowm use, and the head above described may be ap lied to circular lamps, orwhen made u in iflerent appli to lamps of other shapes. In theproduction of new lamps the head is manufactured as a part of t e unit.The number, of slats used may be varied, and the manner'of securing themin the supporting ring may be changed, or the supporting ring maybefashioned in a in their bearings its reflecting slats pair of sectionswith the slats firmly fixed at their ends to these sections.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination with aheadlight and a bearing sleeve therein, of a ring having trunnions'journaled in the sleeve, fixed parslats in said ring allel horizontallydisposed each having an upper non-reflecting face and. a lowerreflecting surface, and means for adjusting and retaining said ring in atilted position, and additional means for tilting beyond the adjustedposition.

2. The combination with a headlight and a slotted bearingsleeve thereinhaving an annular flange, of a ringhaving trunnions 'journaled in saidsleeve, a threaded lug on the ring movable in the slotted bearingsleeve, an adjusting screw for engagement [neeted with said posedbetween said nut and flan said ring in adjusted position,

vshaft and links connecting with said lug to turn the ring, and a ring Yfor affording a resilient retaining evice for the ring. y

3. The combinationwith a headlight a'nd a slotted bearing sleeve thereinhaving an exterior annular flange, of a ring journaled to swin in said"sleeve and reflecting slats carried by said ring, a threaded lug ontthering forming a nut and movablein the slotted sleeve, a screw supportedin the flange of the sleeve and operatively' eonnut, and a spring intere. I 4. The combination with a pair of head li htsieach having a bearingring, of a pair supportin rings having trunnions journaled in thebearing ring and reflecting devices carried by the supporting ring,resilient means on the bearing ring for'retaining a crank arm on each ofthe adjoining trunnions, a crank the shaft and arms, a lever on theshaft, and a draw rod for actuating the lever.

The combination with a slotted bearing sleeve having an exterior annularflange,

in said sleeve of a ring journaled to swing and reflecting slats carriedby said ring, means for tilting said rin resilient means for retainingthe ran in i fed position, and additional means or tiltingsaid ringagainst the tension of the spring.

6. In a headlight the combination with an outer casing having anatnnular exterior bead, of a bearing sleeve within the casing, a ringpivoted in the bearing sleeve and means for-adjusting said ring, lightreflectingslats in the ring, a front extdnsion sleeve ontheca'singengaging said bead,.'an annular bead on the extension, an annular flangeon' the bearin sleeve, and between said flange and the last mentionedbead. 5

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

EVAN BERG.

a lens retained.

